ASHLAND - The recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida, has prompted a nationwide discussion about gun violence in the country. The Daily Independent reached out to Kentucky’s federal legislators to hear their views on the subject. Here are their responses:
U.S. Congressman Thomas Massie, (R-Ky.) said his proposal for reducing school shootings is for the Kentucky state Legislature to implement a program where trained, approved and fully vetted teachers and administrators could voluntarily carry concealed weapons at a high school.
Massie said the Gun-Free School Zones Act does allow exemptions for states that pass laws that allow teachers or administrators to carry concealed weapons on their campuses, which is why he would like to see the state implement its own program.
“The criminal needs to be on notice or the would-be perpetrator needs to be on notice that they’re likely to die within a few seconds of brandishing a weapon on school property and shooting at other students … I think if a perpetrator showed up at school and ended up dead and his picture of his failed attempt to kill these classmates was spread all over the media I think that would do as much to reduce copycat shootings as the recent 24-hour news cycle has done to inadvertently create the next mass shooting,” said Massie.
Massie also noted that he has introduced a bill called the Safe Students Act every term that he has been in Congress that would repeal the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act. He added he believes that criminals prefer unarmed victims and seek out gun-free zones.
Massie also spoke about banning assault riffles, saying he does not believe it should be done, calling the action a “futile exercise.”
“The reality is that an assault riffle is no more deadly than a deer rifle. So far nobody’s been able to identify an assault rifle ban that would keep somebody from perpetrating a mass school shooting,” he said.
Massie said he even plans on introducing a bill soon that would lower the age to purchase a handgun from 21 to 18 in Kentucky.
In terms of bump stocks (attachments that enable semiautomatic rifles to fire faster) Massie said he does not feel they should be banned and even pointed out that he does not think that the Trump administration has the constitutional authority to ban firearms without congressional authorization.
Massie also said he is opposed to the Fix NICS Act, which gives penalties to government agencies for not reporting to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
“The problem with that bill is that it exacerbates this issue we have at the VA where veterans are losing their right to keep and bear arms,” said Massie.
Massie said he does not think executive branch agencies should be pressured into taking away people’s gun rights.
“But I think it’s okay to pressure the federal courts and the state courts and the military courts to turn over names of individuals who have been found unsuitable through a court proceeding to own a firearm,” he added.
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